RRR came, saw and absolutely conquered the 95th Academy Awards in Los Angeles. Naatu Naatu won the Oscar for Best Original Song – let’s be honest, was it ever not going to? – and there is no question of keeping calm and carrying on.
The Oscars were awarded to composer MM Keeravaani and lyricist Chandrabose, who sang a version of The Carpenters’ hit Top Of The World as his acceptance speech. The insanely viral track is from RRR, directed by SS Rajamouli and featuring actors Ram Charan and Jr NTR, all of whom attended the Academy Awards.
Naatu Naatu beat a slate of heavy-weight competitors – Lady Gaga’s Hold My Hand from Top Gun: Maverick, Rihanna’s Lift Me Up from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, This Is A Life from Everything Everywhere All At Once, and Applause from Tell It Like A Woman.
It was the second win for an Indian film – The Elephant Whisperers won Best Documentary Short Subject. All That Breathes was also nominated for Best Documentary Feature Film – the Oscar went to Navalny.
Naatu Naatu’s global domination is now complete, having also won the Golden Globe for Best Original Song in January. The song was performed live during the Oscar ceremony by singers Rahul Sipligunj and Kaala Bhairava, and danced by Lauren Gottlieb. Deepika Padukone, the third Indian to attend as a presenter after Persis Khambatta and Priyanka Chopra, introduced the performance.
